Author's Note: This is a little something I'm writing for fun and hope that people have fun reading it. ^^ The following is dedicated to all of my friends, pony or otherwise. I'll be aiming to update this weekly... and if I fall behind, you all have the right to hunt me down and beat me with pinata bats.

I want to write this in kind of affectionate, episodic fashion, but there will also be an over-arching plot and the occasional multi-chapter arc. Please bear with me and if this actually has a significant readership your love will make me all the more energetic to write more! I will be taking your feedback very seriously, so please read and comment if you enjoy this fic!

All original content copyright me, all MLP:FiM copyright their respective owners.

Something Wicked This Way Trots, pt. 2

In the course of a few hours, the fields of Ponyville had been transformed into a makeshift camp. The mayor was having every free pony rush about, collecting names and trying to figure out where they were all from. In truth, they were from every corner of Equestria- some barely missing a day, others having been gone for years. Young and old, single ponies or entire families.

Trixie was already beginning to feel like her old self. Already she had a couple of young colts polishing her hooves while she sipped sparkling water from a straw. Twilight herself was sitting flat on the grass, though they'd spared a cushion to keep the recently ailed Applejack comfortable. The earth pony nibbled on an apple and watched the two unicorns.

"Don't you think this is a bit... excessive?" Twilight wondered, raising an eyebrow at Trixie.

Trixie scoffed. "I need to be in top form in order to give this story the attention it deserves." She drew another long drink and sighed dramatically. "You understand, don't you? The full breadth of drama and danger that I have faced this last year."

Twilight was doing her absolute best to keep on good terms with Trixie. She tapped her hooves together. "O-of course! It would just... be really helpful if you could give us some idea what happened. None of the other ponies want to talk about it."

"Of course they don't!" Trixie puffed her chest up. "Only the bravest of ponies can face the truth head on." She waved the colts away from her hooves and sat back on a feather pillow with a sigh. "Much better. Now, I will have absolutely no distractions. No interruptions."

Twilight forced and grin and then mimed her hoof across her mouth in a zipper-like motion. But Trixie was scarcely paying any attention. She began to wave her hooves and paint her own image in little lines of magical light.

"I'm sure you recall the last time that we encountered one another. After those two.. utter foals lured the Ursa to Ponyville, I knew that I was in trouble. Certainly, I've occasionally dramatized my feats. Ever-so-slightly! But never would I be so daft as to place my adoring public in danger! But you knows as well as I do how rumors spread. It would not be long until everypony would claim that I was responsible for the incident!"

Twilight winced and nodded.

"I had to do some damage control and fast. I knew that the answers lied somewhere in the Everfree Forest. Something that would redeem me in the eyes of Ponyville. I knew of the dangers and the risks involved... and how a talented unicorn could keep herself safe under such circumstances. But as I would unfortunately learn, safety would be the least of my concerns. Listen, and listen closely, dear magician, as I recount a tale most strange..."

The first thing a unicorn learns is to trust their horn. And when I felt an astounding pull, I knew that my destiny was waiting for me. Far from the old roads, deep through the underbrush. It was as if I was one with the night, the very thrum of life within the wilderness... the strange beasts paid me scarcely a wink as I moved towards that place. I did not realize until later that this was not out of kinship, but of fear.

Aurora hovered above the forest floor. The exodus of ponies had left a clear trail of hoof-pressed grass and moss leading deeper through the Everfree Forest. It kept winding left and right, even seemed to spiral at times but not once did it double back on itself as it worked deeper and deeper. The sounds changed subtly, chirping and rustling and cawwing growing more faint and distant. Fortunately the crunch of his companions' hooves on the ground.

"This isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," said Cocoa. Occasionally she would shuffle through the underbrush- even throw a plant or two into her bag- but even so, if she fell more than a few paces behind Axel or Aurora, she would quickly dart back to them.

"Ain't seen a single critter since we got here," Axel said, sounding plainly disappointed. "Not even a wisp or a ghoul or..."

"A hooded pony!" Aurora whispered as loudly as he could.

"Yeah, one of them spooks..." Axel blinked at the sudden flash of Aurora's camera. "Ackpf!"

The ponies' vision cleared up in time for them to catch a fleeting glance of a pony- or at least they thought so. The creature was covered head to hind-flank with a dark cloak. Its eyes gleamed for a moment in the flash of the camera, and then it continued down the same path.

"Whoa. Okay, now that was something. Or someone..." Axel rubbed his eyes with a hoof. "How about a warning, next time?"

Aurora tugged his camera down against his chest. "Sorry, but if I had time to announce it ahead of time, it probably wouldn't be worth whipping this baby out."

"If hangin' out with you is always going to be like this..."

Cocoa shook her head and shivered. "I do not like the idea of following that thing."

Aurora continued on anyway, and the other two seemed to fall into step. "There's only one way to go. Maybe they're leading us somewhere..."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Cocoa practically squeaked.

I must have traveled for an hour. It felt like an hour, but as you may have guessed time began to feel different. Everything did. If I didn't know any better I'd almost think that I accidentally stumbled through some sleeping nettles. My head began to feel heavy... and that was the beginning of it. Slowly I began to realize that it was not my horn that was leading me, but another force inviting me! Knowing that nothing could best me, I answered it. There were secrets there. Secrets that would become mine and more than make up for my embarrassment in Ponyville.

Each beat of Aurora's wings left him feeling a little more fatigued. He didn't know how long they had been traveling, but it had been long enough that he drifted to the ground and came to rely on his hooves to carry him instead.

"I think we need to take a break," muttered Aurora, rubbing his head. "We've been at this a little too long."

Cocoa galloped right up and began to push him forward from behind. "Oh, no. No no no, Rory. None of that. Not here. Are you crazy?"

"Crazy tired," Axel murmured, licking his chops. "I could go for a wicked power nap."

"Oh, that's a great idea." Cocoa rolled her eyes and butted Axel forward, too. "Just curl up in the big spooky everypony-goes-missing-woods and hope everything will be alright. For all you know you might wake up and be dead."

"That's not nearly as cool as exploding." Axel frowned.

Aurora shook his head violently but the fatigue was growing heavier. The path in front of him blurred. It didn't help that he'd only had so much a nap since arriving. He stumbled forward one hoof at a time. "Sorry. I don't know if I can keep up."

"I ain' carrying your fat pony butt," muttered Axel.

Aurora's wings floofed out defensively. "Who's got a fat butt?"

"Girls," Cocoa muttered. "You're both pretty. Now hold on a second. Where did I..." The earth pony rooted around in her bags, sifting through fresh plants and eventually producing a handful of small chocolate squares, which she promptly shoved into the mouths of the two colts.

"Hey, wh-mmf!" Aurora silenced quickly around the sticky treat and began chewing instinctively. Something like a mix of caramel, cocoa, and espresso exploded in his mouth in taffy deliciousness. It kept him and Axel chewing for a good while.

"Was hoping I wouldn't have to bust these out for a while..." Cocoa found herself yawning and staring bleerily at the chocolate colored cube in her hoof. "Condensed sugar and pure pony power extract. And a little something special." She winked and popped it into her mouth. "Oughta keep us going."

As he swallowed the treat, Aurora felt a tingle running from his feathers to his flanks, down to his hooves. Though the strange veil of lethargy still loomed over him, he felt simultaneously aware and able to push onward with little effort. Axel was perking up as well.

"This dark forest magic is making us all loopy," said Aurora. "Maybe it's not worth it."

Cocoa sighed and pointed a hoof backwards. "Thought of that a long time ago. Turn around. You won't like what you see."

Aurora did in fact peek over his shoulder. The path behind them seemed to narrow and narrow until the forest plants completely engulfed where there once was a path.

"M-maybe we can just fly back..." The pegasus swallowed and began to lift off. Axel grabbed his tail by the teeth, though, and tugged him back to the ground.

"Mnuh-uh." He spat, once Aurora was grounded again. "You got us into the mess, Rory, and you may as well see it through."

"But-"

"The lunk is right," said Cocoa, peering all the way up to the canopy. "Go up there and you might not be able to find us again."

"Right then." Aurora put on his bravest face and clutched his camera to his chest. "With my camera, and your fantastic cooking, and Axel's big fat butt-"

"Hey!"

"... nothing can stop us! Let's see this through to the end."

Aurora liked the way he sounded in spite of himself. Even if he was doomed, or worse. At least he wasn't alone. And, it may have just been the sudden injection of sugar and Celestia only knew what else, but he was beginning to feel a lot better, too. With each twist and turn the forest seemed to actually grow a little more sparse. And whatever was at the end of the road, he felt, was close...

Even without my magic I knew that it was there! Right in front of me! Soon, all would be unveiled. I pushed my way through the last bit of underbrush... and I could not believe my eyes. What I saw before me then was no other than...

"Twilight!" Spike came tumbling over from the library with her other five pony friends in tow. His sudden interjection caused Trixie to gasp and stamp her hooves.

"I said no interruptions!" She huffed. "Now the whole story is ruined."

"Sorry, Trixie," Twilight said, trying to be diplomatic as possible.

"Sorry nothing." Rainbow Dash huffed. "Apparently three ponies have gone missing."

"A lot of ponies are in the middle of being lost and found, if you haven't noticed." Trixie spat. "What's the big deal?"

Fluttershy found herself stepping forward, flustering at her own outspokenness. "It's a very big deal," she insisted. "They're three of our... I mean, Ponyville ponies. Some ponies were saying that they saw them go into the Everfree Forest, following the old trail. They're not safe!"

"Hell's bells they ain't," said Applejack, pushing herself up. She immediately began to wobble but tried her best to remain sturdy. "We need to go after 'em. Pull a rescue mission of our own."

Trixie scoffed and pushed Applejack down with a single nudge of her magic. "You aren't in any shape to go anywhere," she said. "But you're right. Someone needs to get those kids before they get in any trouble. And seeing as I just led hundreds of ponies away from that awful place..."

Dash landed briefly and looked at Twilight. "She's got a point. But I am going along to make sure she doesn't get into any funny business." She and Trixie glared at one another. "Plus you're going to need somepony to get even more help when she gets us all in trouble."

It didn't take long for all of the ponies to break into an argument, each voice ascending over the other until everyone nearby was staring at them. They continued to bicker undaunted until a single pony cleared her throat and put on her best smile. Everyone turned about to redirect their thunderous grief but stopped short upon seeing the mayor of Ponyville.

"I'd hoped I could find you here, Twilight," she said. "And you too, Applejack."

"Is there a problem?" Applejack said, stumbling to her feet. "With the farm? Is Applebloom alright? What's wrong?"

The mayor cleared her throat again. "There are just too many refugees... and we don't have anywhere to put them. Early reports are showing that they're from all across Equestria... Hoofington, Manehattan, Cloudsdale... all manners of places! None of them seem to remember how they got there, but we need to get in touch with their families. But until we do..."

"You need to organize them and give them places to stay." Twilight rubbed her hoof to her head. "There's a lot of room in the orchard and enough food and water. But you can't start sending ponies without Applejack's permission..."

"You know I wouldn't decline a pony in need," said Applejack before anyone could ask. She was already beginning to seem her old self, though she did wobble a little on standing again. "I should check on the family anyway. Catch'em up on the news and all that."

"Thank you, Applejack," said the mayor. "I'll send a request to the treasury to compensate the expenses. Twilight, you're the only pony I can turn to that can help me get this whole mess in order."

Twilight sagged. She knew that her organizational skills had come to Ponyville's aid in the past. But managing a veritable second town of ponies? "I'll do my best," she said. "But I need help. And there's more. A few ponies wandered into the forest... someone needs to go after them."

The mayor tilted her head. "Goodness. Did anyone know what they looked like?"

"A pegasus, a big unicorn colt, and an earth pony..." Rainbow Dash recalled.

"Don't tell me those were our exchange students." The mayor sighed. "And after promising not to stir up trouble... Dear Celestia, this is bad. I can't spare anypony as it is."

"I think a few of us are more than up to the task," said Twilight. "Just worry about taking care of these ponies."

"Very well then." The mayor clopped her hooves down. "I'm putting you in charge of organizing the refugees. I'll work with my staff to send word out to their families and continue relaying reports to Canterlot. The sooner we can get them home, the better."

Twilight nodded. The mayor quickly galloped off to begin her work. That left her to sort everything out. "Okay," she said. "Before anything else. Trixie, what's in the forest? What happened to all of these ponies?"

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "But I can't just... the timing is all..."

"Trixie." Twilight stamped her hoof down and narrowed her eyes. "Three ponies are in danger. I need to know what they are walking into, now."

"Very well," sighed Trixie. "At the end of my journey into the forest, what I found was..."

"Ponyville?" Aurora sputtered. No doubt about it, the forest path terminated at Ponyville. But at the same time it wasn't. It was almost as if someone had built a replica in the middle of the forest, down to the smallest detail. The major difference, of course, was that it was completely abandoned. Fortunately, the trees eased off a bit, merely forming a perimeter around the strange town.

"Why would someone build this?" Cocoa wondered. "In the middle of the forest. It's... really creepy."

"There's a lot of tracks around here." Axel scuffed at the dirt. "A whole lot of ponies left in a hurry. This is probably where our crowd of missing ponies came from."

Aurora pulled out his camera and got to work snapping pictures, brief flashes of light coating the copy village. The tracks, the buildings, and a little bit of the clear sky above. The sun was beginning its slow descent. An ancient castle loomed over the treetops, just its towers enough to make the shadows seem longer and deeper.

Cocoa scuffed her hooves. "We probably shouldn't stick around," she said. "Something spooked everyone. And whatever happened to them could happen to us."

"You're probably right," Aurora admitted. "I'm going to head up and get a look, since you won't lose sight of me. Alright?"

"Fine," muttered Axel. "Just come right back. I wanna get a look around this place."

"You didn't strike me much as the exploring type..." Cocoa commented as Aurora took to the air. Axel shrugged and grinned.

"I love a good mystery. Makes for good inspiration."

Aurora pumped his wings and flew higher and higher. Fortunately, Cocoa's weird snack seemed to do the trick of invigorating him at least long enough to get high enough to get a good view. The forest extended in all directions a surprisingly long distance. There was the castle- and miles towards the setting sun was Ponyville, and Canterlot beyond. He took the opportunity to snap an aerial photo before spiraling down towards his friends again.

"Well?" asked Cocoa.

"We're quite a few miles from the edge of the wood," Aurora explained. "Even if we can't find a path back, I know the old road that runs between the castle and Ponyville should still be there."

"It's better than nothing." Cocoa murmured. "I guess we should go, then."

Axel snorted. "Go? And not take a look around? Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"No," said Cocoa. "I'm really not."

Aurora shrugged. "Either way, it's almost night. It's probably better we hole up here until morning."

"But-"

"No one knows we're here," said the pegasus. "And no one is bound to notice if we sneak into one of these buildings. It's just one night, okay?"

"Fine." Cocoa huffed. "But we're sticking together. We'll just... crash in the library or something."

"Alright then, it's settled." Axel began trotting towards the direction of the library, finding the other two ponies soon following skittishly. "Let's see just how well this place ripped off Ponyville."

Rainbow Dash raced ahead of the other ponies, who could barely keep up even at a full gallop. Trixie came as promised, as well as Fluttershy, who simply couldn't leave innocent ponies alone in the woods. Besides, her particular knack with the wildlife might have come in handy. The rest of their friends had stayed back with Twilight.

"So it's an exact copy of Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked Trixie. The unicorn responded surprisingly pleasantly between panting. She seemed to rather revel in being the only source of knowledge.

"Exactly the same," she said. "Though a magical unicorn like me can tell that it feelsdifferent. Every shop, even every book in the library was the exact same. It wasn't that bad, really, living there for a whole year..."

"Yeah, you probably had the whole town thinking you were some great hero." Dash rolled her eyes and peered back. Trixie, of course, didn't deny any of this. "Sounds like youhad it great. You probably didn't even try to 'escape.' What made everyone decide to leave, anyway?"

Trixie hmphed. "Everyone that came before me and after me seemed drawn there just the same. Except they were all in a strange fugue state. A couple days ago it just... wore off, and everyone kept having strange dreams. Eventually panic set in and people started remembering who they were and where they came from. So of course I wasn't going to leave them there alone. But believe me, before that, you couldn't have gotten them to leave if you tried..."

"It sounds like bad magic," Fluttershy said, shivering a little.

"It's more than magic," scoffed Trixie. "Something deeper... s-something... what I never understood was why it suddenly let everyone go."

Dash flexed her wings. "It sounds to me like whatever was keeping everyone there didn't need them anymore," she said. "Which might be a good thing. Or it might be very, very bad. I'm going to go on ahead. Don't get lost." And with a sudden burst of speed, she tore through the forest, following the clumsy trail that the three ponies had apparently left behind them.

At sunset, many of the refugees had been moved from the green and into whatever space was available. They'd set up a small camp in the orchard, but they also shoved makeshift cots into the library, and every nook and cranny they could think of. The ponies that lived in closer towns were already beginning to depart, eager to head home. Others were still having trouble with their memories.

Twilight met Rarity near a huge stack of linen, where she was busy transforming sheet after sheet of cloth into simple but elegant quilts.

"Thank you for taking time off from your work," said Twilight. As she sagged down against the ground, Rarity draped one of the nicer quilts over her.

"Not at all, dear. Everyone is doing their part and I'd hardly be able to call myself a lady if I just sat aside and watched. Besides, I'm certain that my clients will understand the scale of this emergency."

Twilight burrowed into the blanketing and hid all but her nose. "You don't have to tell me twice. Canterlot is all in a buzz. The royal guard is coming to investigate and I honestly don't know what to tell the princess. I don't think I've been this stressed since Nightmare Moon was released."

"It seems that now that everypony is in motion, you just have to sit back and.. ah..." Rarity tweaked her horn and fixed a single stitch before lifting a stack of quilts into a waiting cart. "... make minor adjustments as need be." She paused and smiled at Twilight, producing a couple apple drinks. "To tell the truth, I'm always impressed with how organized you seem to be in a crisis."

"Thanks." Twilight wiggled forward a bit from her shelter and took a deep drink. She flustered at the compliment but something else weighed on her more than a polite response. "It's just... it's like that night all over again. Something in my horn... in my hooves is telling me that the worst is yet to come."

Rarity chuckled lightly and set her drink aside before going back to work again. "Well, when it does, just remember that you're not alone. You have the lot of us to count on. And together, we can get through anything~ I'm absolutely sure of it. So just relax! Rejuvenate yourself. You've been working yourself positively ragged."

"I know." Twilight sighed and looked upwards, towards the emerging stars. Somehow, their glow against the red horizon gave her a little bit of comfort. They had faced worse, and come out of it stronger than ever. "It's going to be alright."

Aurora felt a little guilty snooping around the library. Even if it wasan alternate version, it still felt like he was invading somepony's privacy. Still, they needed pillows and blankets and those were things they'd only find upstairs in the private areas.

"How accurate do you think this is?" Axel wondered. He lifted the pillows and the mattress of a couple of the beds before the other two stripped them of anything comfortable and balanced them on his back.

"Not terribly, I imagine," said Cocoa. "A completely different set of ponies have been living here. What were you hoping to find? Twi's diary?"

"Heh, yeah, that's a good place to start!" The unicorn grinned and wobbled over towards one of the reading desks, leaving a couple fallen pillows in his wake. He flipped open the purple-covered book that was there and flipped through a few pages. "Huh. That's weird. There's nothing written here at all."

"That's not spooky." Aurora sighed and pulled another book from the shelf. "... this one's blank, too. I bet they all look like that."

"Ugh. Are you sure we have to stay the night here?" Cocoa squeaked.

"Do you have any better plans?" Aurora frowned. "We can always try another place. Or we could just try to head home."

Cocoa shrugged just a little bit. Nothing particularly appealed to her. Aurora almost regretted bringing them on this trip. But at the same time, he was kind of glad that they were there together. And he had gotten some killer news material out of it. Now he just had to make it back in one piece to publish a killer story.

The sound of music caught Aurora's attention suddenly. Axel had produced from somewhere a small lyre which he played an oddly serene tune on. At the same time it reminded him of an adventurous fairy tale he'd heard growing up.

"I didn't know you played," said Aurora.

"What did you think I came to Ponyville for?" The unicorn grinned. "To sit around and look pretty? Granted, I could probably get by just doing that."

"There's a pretty lively music scene," Cocoa agreed. "Still, I don't think I've gotten the chance to actually listen to you play before. You're reallygood."

Axel blushed and looked away. "Meh. I was just hoping to calm you dorks down a bit. Lighten the mood and all that."

"Well, don't stop," Cocoa said, flopping down on one of the pillows. "I want to hear the rest!"

Axel nodded and continued to play. His horn made a little flare, and the music seemed to grow in volume, as if it suddenly came from all parts of the room. Each note seemed to linger a while before fading out.

Aurora considered his camera, but decided against making a spectacle. He settled on one of the beds and listened. As he soaked up the music, he remembered a story that his mother often told him before he went to sleep. It was a popular tale, usually cited by young colts with too much enthusiasm for adventure and not enough to do in the cities of the clouds. The music seemed to pull her very voice from his memory.

Once, there was a brave young pegasus who dreamed of being a royal knight. He trained night and day, mastering his flying skills and play-fighting with his friends. There were many things he learned as he grew as a young colt, but there was one thing that made him special. He learned to know all there was to know about the world around him just by listening to the wind. They say he practiced it to best his friends in combat, to find the most favorable flight paths, to predict the weather... even predict the future.

One night he heard the sound of a young filly crying on the wind. But he could not find out why! He set out immediately, leaving his family's home in the dark of night. He flew through dark clouds and descended to the land below. On the top of the highest mountain he found her there, hiding her sorrow in the furl of her wings. But she could not silence herself completely, and her found her there.

At first she was afraid of the strange colt, appearing out of nowhere. But then she hid her tears and greeted him with caution.

"Who is it that appears before me now?" She asked. "Are you an angel?"

"Nope!" he proudly proclaimed. "I am something even better. I'm a royal knight!"

"Are you really?" She could not help but laugh. "You look too small to be a knight."

Well, that pegasus puffed his chest up as proudly as he could manage and swept his head low. "Small of body I may be, but my heart is great and my mind sharper than the tip of these mountains." He, of course, was quoting an even older knight's tale- that of the first knight to serve the royal family. "Surely, there must be some way that I can aid you."

The boastful pegasus made her laugh and filled her with a little bit of joy. The truth was that he had already helped her, but she could not help but play with his intentions a little. "Perhaps there is. What is your name, sir knight?"

The pegasus remained bowed and replied, "Silvergale, of Cloudsdale. Humbly at your service."

"Well then, Sir Silvergale," the filly giggled. "I have lost something dear of mine. Perhaps you would assist me in retrieving it?"

"Of course. What is it that you have lost?"

Then the filly turned and gestured high into the sky with a hoof. "That," she said. "Once my beloved gave to me a great gift. But then an evil enchantress stole it, and sent it to the sky. Now it is hidden in the sky, glittering in the stars themselves. If you think that you can reach it for me, I would be ever-so-grateful."

"I will do my best." Silvergale was nervous. No pony he'd known had ever flown to the stars. But when he turned his ear to the wind, it was as if Equestria itself was whispering the way. Then he nodded. "Return here tomorrow, if you will, and I will have your gift."

The filly laughed. "I am in your debt." And she thanked him, and there they parted. It was of course meant to be a gentle prank. The filly expected nothing more than for him to show up the next day and apologize, or offer some small token. Either way, his willingness to act as her knight made her a little happy inside. And, perhaps, they could become friends...

But Silvergale knew the way to the stars! He found the warm winds that carried him there, so far above Equestria. All the way into the heavens! He followed the hidden path and when he arrived at the spot that the filly had indicated, he found nothing other than the heart of a star itself. It was small and gentle, but also strong and sturdy.

Even though the journey felt like forever he still managed to come back to the mountain at night. Imagine her surprise when she found that he had not only traveled to the roof of heaven, but also brought back the star! So great was her surprise that she was speechless.

"Is it not what you have asked for?" Asked Silvergale, confused. She shook her head and accepted the star with trembling hooves.

"It is exactly what I have asked for," she said, still unable to believe what was before her eyes. She smiled at him and said, "Such a strange and wonderful pony you are. You are indeed my knight!"

"My lady," he said, and found that he was blushing and grinning like an idiot. Even though she was just a stranger, being recognized as such filled him with pride. "Perhaps... you will tell me who I serve."

The filly flustered, and pondered. And after a long while she opened her mouth. "Yes. I am..."

Aurora heard something clatter outside. Axel immediately stopped playing and the three of them looked up.

"What... do you think it is?" Cocoa murmured, hiding under her blanket.

Aurora peered up and looked out the window. To his surprise, he saw a young blonde colt looking around the village. He then began to trot down one of the roads.

"It's another pony!" Aurora threw open the window and peered back at Axel. "You two stay here. I'm going to see if he's okay!"

"Wait!" Cocoa reached up but could hardly speak before the pegasus had taken off. Axel sighed and strummed a chord out on his lyre.

"So much for sticking together."

Aurora dipped out into the night in a fashion he worried he was growing too used to. The sudden excitement of seeing another pony compelled him forward. And he followed the echo of hoofsteps where he thought he remembered the colt going.

Then he caught sight of the blonde colt somewhere near Sugarcube Corner, ready to peek inside.

"Hey, wait up!" he called.

The young colt turned around and gasped. He seemed stricken with fear and bolted the moment he saw Aurora, saying nothing. The pegasus pursued but the earth pony was surprisingly fast for his size. They wound down streets and between buildings and closer and closer to the perimeter of the forest. It was near faux Carousel Boutique that he lost crack of the strange pony.

And found something else.

Aurora's eyes widened as he saw the purple shadow. It was much larger than he ever remembered it, bigger than the biggest pony and growing in size. He tried to bolt but the sticky shade was much, much faster than he was.

Dash burst into the copy of Ponyville first. She took to the air and scanned every road and window and couldn't find a single thing. Before she could conduct a more thorough search, though, Fluttershy and Trixie managed to catch up. She zipped down to join them.

"I can't see anypony here," she said.

Trixie had broken out into a cold sweat. "No..." she said. "There's several ponies here. I can tell. T-they're with... it."

"It?" Fluttershy repeated, sounding rather nervous.

"Whatever was behind all of this," said Trixie, swallowing. Then her eyebrows furrowed and she stamped the ground. "Fine. We'll find them. And finish this."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Dash took off, and then zipped back. "... where are they?"

Trixie turned her horn to the air and closed her eyes briefly. "... this way. Come."

Dash hovered around the two as they went. They came closer and closer to the Carousel Boutique. As they did, Fluttershy hunkered down more and more.

"There aren't any animals here..." she said. "Not even any dangerous ones. Everything in the forest is avoiding this place. It's almost like Nightmare Moon's castle."

"And that's not too far from here." Dash nodded. "Thankfully we won't have to go back there again."

"No," said Trixie, "but we have to go in there."

The door of the Carousel Boutique was half-open. She took a cautious step forward. Her heart was pounding as she eased into the building. The other two didn't need magic to tell them that something was very wrong. They'd felt this way before, the first time they came together to free Princess Celestia. It was the same foul energy that surrounded Luna before she'd been freed of Nightmare Moon.

The three ponies stepped into the copy of Rarity's shop. It did not take them long to notice that in the place of the mannequins, there were six ponies. Dash recognized Axel and Cocoa. The cream pegasus must have been Aurora. Those three seemed held in place by a dark energy.

The other three were earth ponies. The three trotted forward and spoke as if one.

"So nice to see you again, Trixie," they said. "I didn't expect you back here so soon."

Trixie whimpered and began to build up a brilliant sheen of magic in her horn, and Dash and Fluttershy braced for whatever might have followed. But before either of them could spring forward, Trixie ever-slightly indicated back behind her shoulder and mouthed one word.

Run.

A curtain of light exploded from Trixie's horn in time to splash against the purple energy that rushed towards them from behind. But it did not take long to recover and already soaked through Trixie and Fluttershy's hooves, sticking them to the floor. Only Dash was fast enough to evade the lunging spears of dark energy. She kicked at it, once, and barely managed to shake it off before it started to crawl up her leg.

"Get out of here, you idiot," Trixie hissed. "You're not going to dodge it to death!"

"Get Twilight..." Fluttershy gasped. "Get help!"

Dash had a rare moment of hesitation. It didn't feel right, leaving her friends behind. But there was nothing she could do. "Hang in there," she said. "Help is on the way." And then in a rainbow blur, she was gone.

The three ponies smiled as darkness continued to engulf Trixie and Fluttershy. "We did not think we could catch the rainbow one so easily," they mused. "But it does not matter. One of you should suffice."

"You won't get away with this." Trixie hissed.

"We already have," the voices echoed. "Long before you even stumbled upon this place. The wheels were already set in motion."

As the shadows crept up Trixie's mane she looked over and gave an apologetic smile to Fluttershy. "Twilight will get us out of the mess."

Fluttershy surprisingly smiled. "I know," she said oh-so-quietly.

Then the dark magic took their vision away. They were at once there and nowhere at all. And then they were all moving.

Dash managed to catch Twilight before she left Rarity. She nearly broke the sound barrier in her race back, arching over from the forest in a broad rainbow. She skidded to a stop and nearly tumbled over herself.

Twilight was immediately alarmed. "What's wrong."

"Darkness..." Dash panted. "Evil thing that almost got Applejack. It's stronger. Got the others. We need to... go help them. Now."

Twilight stood and stared upwards. "I don't think we have to go after it," she said. "I think it's coming here."

Like a storm cloud the darkness came towards the center of Ponyville. It announced its presence with a great rumbling that made everypony either peer out of their windows or hide under their beds. Twilight and her friends rushed towards the center. They arrived one after the other, with a scant few other ponies. Applejack and Pinkie arrived as well. And as if the force was waiting for them all, it descended. The dark cloud churned in a cyclone and then slowed before finally spitting a handful of ponies to the ground.

Aurora, Axel, Cocoa. Fluttershy and Trixie. They all lay on the ground, fully awake and their hooves bound together by shadow.

The three ponies wore hoods now. But they pushed them back and smiled at Twilight.

"There you are," they said. "After all this time. All this time of recovering and planning and waiting."

Twilight lowered her horn and glared. "... Nightmare Moon?"

The three ponies shook their head. "No. And yes. Nightmare Moon would have made a great champion to our cause. But we were not born until you separated the princess from us. We were not born until you set those magics to dissipate... and grew with its brothers in the forest. In a way, we owe you our existence. You created us."

"If that is what we did, then we will send you right back where you came from." Twilight said.

"Give us back our friends!" Dash took a swoop past and nearly knocked one of the ponies over.

"We think we will hold onto them for the time being," said the three ponies. "Our greatest threat was always the Elements of Harmony. We had to be clever. We had to grow strong. And that time was soon approaching. But we did not expect to be so lucky as to have one of you just stumble into our grasp." They laughed quietly, in unison.

Twilight was already beginning to draw upon the magic, assembling the elements. But there was something between them and Fluttershy. Something just enough of a barrier to strain her progress. And the ponies lifted a hoof, and a great pressure forced against her skull.

"If you so much as think about bringing the Elements of Harmony against us again," they said, "we will just destroy the Element of Kindness."

"You leave Fluttershy alone!" Twilight yelled. But what could she do? Her friends were in danger. "What do you want?"

"We want one of you. Just one." The trio shrugged. "It does not have to be this one. Whoever it is will not be harmed. Well taken care of, really! We merely wish to ensure that you do not have the ability to disrupt our plans."

"I..." Twilight stared at Fluttershy. "I can't. That's not..."

"Not fair?" The trio smirked. "Life isn't fair, Twilight. Make your choice. Or don't. It makes no difference to us."

Twilight and her friends sagged. She knew in her heart that any one of them would give themselves up for Fluttershy. But they shouldn't have to give up. There had to be a solution! Some way to free them. But even a slight show of force would put Fluttershy in danger. She didn't have long to think...

"If that's your decision," said the three, "we'll be going then."

"Wait!" Twilight said, lifting a hoof. For the crucial moment she froze. There was nothing she could do.

Then another familiar voice pierced the night.

"Release them!"

Every pony turned to see Princess Luna reared back on her hind-legs. It was as if she'd appeared from the shadows themselves. And with a single spark of magic, the binds surrounding the five captive ponies' hooves receded. They all gasped for air.

Luna advanced towards the trio of darkened ponies, unfettered by the building commotion around her appearance.

"How did you..." they rasped. "Where did you..."

"I was once a slave to your kind," said Luna. "But no longer, thanks to these ponies. And I will not allow you to harm anyof my subjects. Or any of my friends!"

Another brilliant flare of magic ripped from her horn. Like the light of the moon itself it cast upon the trio of ponies. And they cried out in pain as they stumbled back. She ushered every pony behind her, and Fluttershy returned to Twilight's side.

"Now, use the elements," said Luna. "Banish this evil from our land."

Twilight nodded. "Right! Everyone, with me..."

A familiar magic resonated from within them. As if from nowhere, from some secret place the elements emerged and adorned them. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, together as one they rose into something greater. The power from their very centers assembled, and Twilight provided its channel. The great prismatic wave washed from her horn, a brilliant rainbow of positive energy that crashed into the three ponies.

Their voices quickly began to become distinct as the dark cloud emerged from them and begin to dissipate. "This is not over," they said, more weakly. "You are merely delaying the inevitable."

Then the spell completed. The power of the elements washed away every trace of the shadow. And the trio of ponies collapsed on the ground of the square. Now, ponies began pouring out of the buildings to see what had happened. And to see Luna, standing full and proud against the back light of the moon.

"What happened? Who was that?" Twilight asked, immediately. Then she flustered and offered a bow to Luna; the rest of the ponies followed. But Luna waved them quickly up as she explained.

"I don't know exactly," she said, and looked down. "When I was Nightmare Moon... it was that. But it is also something more. Those three ponies are innocent." She gesture with a wing to the stirring, groaning trio. "It is likely that the evil force possessed them out of convenience. It could have been anyone. Do not blame them for what has happened."

"I don't," said Twilight, meeting Luna's gaze. Her meaning slipped through her words and she flustered, adding, "I won't." The other ponies all nodded in agreement.

Luna smiled just a little. And then flinched at a flash of light as Aurora took a picture. When she looked over, the young pegasus shrugged. And everyone laughed. A great belly laugh from every pony that seemed to wash away even the slightest trace of darkness from the night.

"I will stay around a while to make sure that everypony is safe," said Luna. "If possible, I would like to speak with you all later. But for now I should check the rest of the town."

"Of course," said Twilight. "It would be an honor."

And just like that everypony began to chatter. Aurora took a few more photos. Everyone lingered for hours, grateful for each other's company and for the calm atmosphere that seemed to evident that everything is and would be alright.

Both the refugees and the natives of Ponyville eventually settled down to sleep. Aurora returned with the others, who felt immediately grateful to flop down in the living room and stare into space. Aurora began fiddling with his camera and rolling out a blank parchment.

"I can't believe the mess you got us into," Cocoa groaned. "I am never going anywhere with you again!"

Aurora grinned over his shoulder. "Really? What exactly did we get into?"

"Getting lost in the forest, scared witless," Cocoa practically yelled. "Captured by an evil force. Made other ponies come to rescue us. Almost caused the end of Equestria."

Axel pulled out his lyre and played a few experimental notes. "Saw an awesome battle. Got to meet Princess Luna. Learned about all kinds of wicked creatures..."

"Sounds exciting, if nothing else."

Cocoa rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "I guess," she said. "It was... interesting. But next time maybe we can just go get lunch or something."

The three chuckled. Aurora began scribbling down on his parchment, laboriously recalling all that had happened that day. Axel's music had faded into a gentle snoring as the unicorn all but passed out. Cocoa was very near to it herself and showed no desire to move from the couch she was sprawled on.

"What are you doing? You should get some rest." Cocoa peered at Aurora.

The pegasus shook his head and grinned. "No way. After all that? I needto get a story into print as soon as possible. The things we've seen... the photographs... everything. Ponies everywhere need to know. And I'm not going to waste this opportunity."

"Fine by me..." murmured Cocoa. "Just don't wake us up."

Then the earth pony dropped off as well. In the dim light, Aurora continued to write in spite of the heaviness of his eyelids building upon him. But nothing, not even a sleeping spell would prevent him from recalling all that had happened.

Ponyville is notorious for being the center of fantastic happenings in Equestria. Today saw a great new threat. And a few familiar faces rose to face it. Though danger may always be brewing in the darker corners of the world, there will always be great friends to help each other through adversity. And our great rulers, Princess Luna and Celestia, no doubt labor without end to keep us all safe.

If you should find a darkness such as this, spread the word. And the light of the truth shall bring every pony together. Nothing can shake the bonds that hold us together. This report is not one to evoke fear, but to give hope and to spread the world on how to know and how to handle those who may otherwise do us harm.

Aurora worked and worked and told his tale the best that he could. It was but two days, one article. One adventure put to rest. One of many that he would undertake in Equestria. Though his quill would eventually rest that night, it would not do so for long. And nor would he.

Because there would be many stories to tell, and he would be there to capture each and every one.